The CEO of UnitedHealthcare said last week he regretted the decision to enter the ObamaCare marketplace last year, which the company says has resulted in millions of dollars in losses. Originally published by Sarah Ferris in The Hill. “It was for us a bad decision,” UnitedHealth CEO Stephen Hemsley said at an investors’ meeting in […]

I’m excited to announce the merger of my company with a regional leader in group benefits, NorthPointe Insurance. This partnership enables me to offer my clients full-service benefits planning and increased customer service. NorthPointe brings considerable expertise in the areas of workers compensation, liability and property and casualty, along with a history of excellence in providing defined […]

My best friend is an ER doctor in Florida, and he told me this would happen. Actually, he’s now the chief medical director for the same hospital where he’s spent most of his career as an ER physician.  Back when Obamacare was being crafted, he predicted that the ACA would force patients with limited or […]

I’m pleased to share with you this exclusive IRS Section 6056 Employer Reporting Data Calculator, Toolkit, and Reporting Chart. The Internal Revenue Service requires 50+ full‑time equivalent (FTE) employers with fully insured plans to report information on coverage offered to their full-time employees as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Reporting was voluntary for 2014, but reporting is required for the 2015 calendar year. […]

Did your 2014 healthcare costs increase 5% from the previous year? Not possible. Never mind that I personally observed carrier increases of 5%-10% last year. Never mind that, according to new data from the Census Bureau’s Quarterly Services Survey, the nation’s nearly $3 trillion medical bill grew 5 percent last year. A big jump, especially compared with an […]

To (almost) quote a Loverboy hit from 1982, I hope you’re healthy when it’s over. ObamaCare open enrollment was from November 15, 2014 to February 15, 2015. During that time you were able to enroll, switch plans, and apply for subsidies. All Private Health Plans share the enrollment period prescribed by the Health Insurance Marketplace (aka Exchange), while […]

In late November, Speaker of the House John Boehner filed a lawsuit on behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives against Obama’s executive actions on Obamacare. “Time after time, the president has chosen to ignore the will of the American people and rewrite federal law on his own without a vote of Congress,” Boehner said […]

Have you heard of HIPPA? Congress enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) in 1996. The purpose of the law was to protect private health care information. So, what’s wrong with that? Sounds like the government was trying to protect our private information, right? Maybe. But every legal “protection” has consequences, unintended or […]

If you’re like most folks, you may think a “qualifying event” is the mere fact that you need health insurance. Unfortunately, it’s a bit more complicated than that, which is why I thought I’d take a minute to give you the low down. Outside of open enrollment (November 15, 2014 to February 15, 2015), you can […]

With Open Enrollment almost here, you may be wondering what it actually means, and why it’s significant. Businesses have long been familiar with open (or annual) enrollment, as carriers have enforced it for decades for group health insurance. But the ACA, or Obamacare, includes a legal requirement for carriers to mandate an open enrollment period […]

Last month, National Review reported that President Obama’s old Harvard Law professor, Laurence Tribe, said that he “wouldn’t bet the family farm” on Obamacare’s surviving the legal challenges to an IRS rule about who is eligible for subsidies that are currently working their way through the federal courts. Ten days later, Tribe’s comments proved prophetic when […]

To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical. ” ~Thomas Jefferson On Monday a divided Supreme Court ruled that some closely held, for-profit businesses may opt out, on the basis of religious objections, of a requirement in ObamaCare to provide […]

March 31 remains the firm deadline to sign up for Obamacare. So if you’ve not already done it, you’re out of time. Or are you? The IRS weighed in on the subject late last month, as reported at atr.org, quietly releasing a series of Obamacare “Health Care Tax Tips.” The tips warn Americans that they […]

Actors, Doctors & Democrats Ditching ObamaCare. Last month I met with a couple who work in the entertainment industry – I’ll call them Tom & Lisa – who wanted help getting out of the Exchange. They had successfully enrolled in Covered California in December of 2013, selecting a plan that fit their criteria; in fact, […]

We learned last week of the latest big delay of the health-law rollout: most employers won’t face a fine next year if they fail to offer workers health insurance. As reported in The Wall Street Journal, the Treasury Department said employers with 50 to 99 full-time workers won’t have to comply with the law’s requirement […]

In 2010, President Obama signed legislation that requires Americans to purchase government-regulated health insurance by the year 2014. As I mentioned last week, there are a few exceptions – those who are legally exempt from the requirements; but the overwhelming majority of us don’t qualify for the exemptions. Of course, you can choose to purchase […]

You still don’t have health insurance? – don’t panic (yet). There are only five days left to enroll in Affordable Care Act (ACA) health plans for coverage beginning January 1st. The December 23rd deadline includes small businesses participating in the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). But the truth is that December is not the […]

Employers and employees alike are facing complex issues with regard to the Affordable Care Act.  The good news is that an important piece of the law has been delayed: the online small business insurance marketplace.  The Small Business Health Options Program, known as the SHOP exchange, will not be offering online enrollment until November 2014, […]

Should You Care About Obamacare? I’m not talking about politically, morally or philosophically; but as a consumer, or potential consumer. How much should you care about the Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as Obamacare? Maybe not much. That’s a position many insurance professionals are landing on at this scene in the show. If your […]